Provisions, the Makeover of the Old Van Horne, Announces Soft Opening

After almost two months of renovations, Provisions is almost ready to open its doors. The new Outremont restaurant is prepping for its soft opening party this Sunday, August 9th, from 4 p.m to 11 p.m. for friends and family. The trio of owners includes Hakim Rahal (Laurie Raphaël, Brontë) who will be running the kitchen along with Pablo Rojas Sutterlin (Mercury, Le Petit Italien) and Tina An (Foyer, Brontë, Cube) who will be in charge of the front of house. In the old space that used to be Van Horne restaurant, the team decided to expand the bar and tiny kitchen so that there would be more room for them to work. With only 25 seats, this intimate dining area is going to give them the opportunity to really focus on their clients.

The menu at Provisions will read like a shopping list, which will allow customers to pick and choose items they enjoy, all the while giving the kitchen creative freedom. "You'll see what we have on offer, but you're really not going to know how it will be prepared," says Rahal. "The idea came from when we go eat at other restaurants where our buddies are the chefs, we just sit down and they just do whatever they want to do," explains Rojas Sutterlin. Focusing on what's available and in season and playing with the high to low concept, the menu will be flexible as well so that diners can enjoy a beer and a small plate of food, or a more elaborate, multi-course menu paired with wine.

With a short but very nicely balanced wine list by H4C sommelier Francis Arkinson and a cocktail program headed by Jason Griffin (Maison Boulud), they really want to build a community at Provisions where friends from other restaurants can contribute and participate. "We had a lot of help from all our friends for getting this project together. We just want to cook and have fun," says Rojas Sutterlin.

Provisions will announce the official opening date on its Facebook page.